railbird

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English

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Etymology

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From rail +‎ bird.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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railbird (plural railbirds)

  1. A rail or similar bird
  2. (US, slang) A gambler; originally specifically a horseracing enthusiast
    • 2007 October 6, Charles Mcgrath, “The Happy Hustler”, in New York Times[1]:
      He earned it one night at Chelsea Billiards in New York, where he knocked off Eddie Hubler, a.k.a. Kid Vicious, winning $4,200 from railbirds who were certain that the fat kid from Jersey had no game.